Utah House and Senate Applauds Executive Order to Review Antiquates Act

SALT LAKE CITY – Last week President Donald Trump signed an executive order to review National Monument designations, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. Speaker of the House Greg Hughes, Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, Reps. Keven Stratton and Mike Noel and Sens. David Hinkins and Margaret Dayton are pleased to release the following joint statement:

We applaud President Trump’s executive order calling for a review of his predecessors’ use of the Antiquities Act, including the designations of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National monuments in flagrant violation of the will of the people in those areas. The order acknowledges and respects the resolutions passed by the Utah State Legislature during the 2017 General Session, urging action to correct this blatant executive overreach by rescinding or reducing the designations.

Utah has endured more than 20 years with the devastating consequences of these unilateral decisions that have restricted access, weakened local economies and corroded our rural communities. Such is the result when a president, far removed from the repercussions of his decisions, ignores input from those most impacted by local land management policies – the very people who know and love these lands the most. We are confident that as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visits our state and applies the criteria specified in the recent executive order, he will see that reducing or rescinding these monuments is both appropriate and necessary. We look forward to Secretary Zinke’s visit and further action by President Trump on Utah’s national monuments.